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David's first meeting with Laura, who is playing both sides of the fence with Roger and Burke. Synopsis : My name is Victoria Winters. There is an air of expectation at Collinwood for the one who has returned will soon arrive. And the one who waits most eagerly grows impatient. David looks for his mother at the window; he is anxious to see her. Despite Elizabeth's objections, David is sure he saw Laura standing amongst the cold and the dark and the trees. Act I David wants Laura to stay at Collinwood, close to his room, and even voluntarily washes his hands and changes his shirt to impress her. Roger and Elizabeth worry about Burke's capitalization upon the return of Laura due to their previous feelings for each other. Elizabeth decides to let Laura stay at Collinwood to keep her from Burke; she is going to put her in a room near David's. Act II David puts on a tie and worries that his mother won't like him. He has been having increasingly scary dreams about Laura; the last one included him surrounded by flames with his mother calling him and holding her arms out to him (190, 191). At that moment, Laura arrives at Collinwood. Act III Roger tells Laura that David has trouble distinguishing between reality and imagination and of the boy's premonitions. Laura says that she hopes Roger does not want a reconciliation; Roger assures her he does not. He tells her about Elizabeth's involvement in David's life, for which Laura says she is grateful. Roger warns her about Burke, whom she has already run into this morning. Laura reports evading Burke's questions and declares she doesn't want to be involved in anything. Roger pressures Laura, saying that a trial of that nature would disfavourably reflect on her maternal instincts. Roger is glad they see eye-to-eye on these matters. Victoria meets Laura. Victoria goes up to get David, who now doesn't want to see Laura. Act IV David's scared, he insists that he doesn't want to go downstairs. Victoria counters that if he doesn't go downstairs, his mother will surely come upstairs. "One way or another, you're going to 'meet' your mother tonight." Elizabeth explains her reluctance at granting custody to Laura; she concedes that Laura has undergone a change for the better, but admits she can't forget how she was before. Elizabeth admits that she's been less than sucessful at replacing her as David's mother, and Laura states that fulfilling that function is the only thing she wants in life. Roger says he's pleased with the 'new' Laura, and lies about being sad at the thought of losing him. Coming down the stairs, David is still scared to see his mother, but Victoria promises to stand by him and hold his hand. Elizabeth says that everything hinges on how their relationship develops, and Laura claims she just wants a chance to prove herself and to love and be loved. David meets Laura and sees a vision of her in flames; he flees the room. Victoria claims he's bashful; when she inquires to David, he claims that Laura is not his mother. Memorable quotes : Laura: (about Victoria) Nice girl. : Roger: She's something of a story unto herself. ---- : David: (about Laura) That's not my mother! Dramatis personae * ← Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard → * ← Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins → * ← Diana Millay as Laura Collins → * ← David Henesy as David Collins → * ← Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters → Background information and notes Production * Before David freaks out at the sight of his mother, this episode features him for the first time acting like a normal little boy. Scenes feature some of David Henesy's finest acting. Story * Laura was born in Collinsport. * TIMELINE: It was last night when Laura first visited Collinwood. It was this morning when Laura met Burke. Bloopers and continuity errors * When Roger asks Victoria to bring David down to meet Laura, instead of climbing the stairs, actress Alexandra Moltke can be seen stopping at the foot of the stairs and turning around, obviously to walk over to another set, in this case that of David's room. * Ohrbach's is misspelled in the credits as Orhbach's. End credits announcement External Links Dark Shadows - Episode 134 on the IMDb 0134